Complete list of press releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.550.6524, scrowley@edf.org  
David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.978, guidrye@nwf.org  

(Washington, DC—July 30, 2010) Five conservation groups praised the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a bill tonight that includes an amendment authored by Congressman Charlie Melancon (D-La.) that would provide up to $1.2 billion in funding for Gulf Coast restoration projects. The amendment provides funding for a “Gulf Coast Restoration Program” in Title V of the Consolidated Land, Energy and Aquatic Resources Act (CLEAR Act/H.R. 3534). The amendment is fully paid for by a portion of BP’s penalties for violating the Clean Water Act (CWA), so it doesn’t increase the deficit.

“The BP oil spill has imperiled the Gulf Coast and its impacts will be felt for years to come by the communities, wildlife, and the environment,” said a joint statement by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Environmental Defense Fund, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, National Audubon Society, and National Wildlife Federation. “Much of the oil in the marshes simply can’t be cleaned up. Congressman Melancon’s amendment recognizes that the long term solution to cleaning the marshes is to bring self-sustaining health back to this ecosystem through long-term investments in restoration.”

“We thank Louisiana Congressmen Melancon and Steve Scalise (R-La.) for working together to ensure bipartisan support for this amendment,” the groups added. “We’re also grateful to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall (D-WV) and the House leadership for their critically needed help to pass the amendment.”

HR 3534 creates a restoration task force, comprising the five Gulf Coast governors and representatives of relevant federal agencies. Nine months after the legislation’s enactment into law, the task force must submit a detailed Gulf of Mexico Restoration plan. Upon completion, the plan will be submitted to Congress, which will then fund listed projects. The funded projects will be large-scale restoration projects, endorsed by the Gulf Coast governors and federal agency heads.

“These projects will benefit all regions of the Gulf Coast and provide a restoration framework that will restore water quality, protect people, wildlife and reintroduce resilience into the coastal wetlands in the face of the oil spill,” the groups concluded. “Nearly five years ago, our nation learned during Hurricane Katrina the important role Gulf Coast wetlands play in protecting people and communities from devastating storms. Now, in the face of the BP spill, America has come to understand the importance of a healthy Gulf ecosystem to wildlife, the economy, and the culture of the region.”

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Contacts:
Tony Kreindler, 202-445-8108, tkreindler@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

(Washington, DC – July 29, 2010) Today’s decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deny petitions to reconsider its greenhouse gas endangerment finding reaffirms the strength of climate science.

In response to a directive from the U.S. Supreme Court, EPA reached a December 2009 science-based finding that six greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride – are a threat to human health and the environment. Today EPA reaffirmed that determination.

“Like other major scientific assessments, EPA’s exhaustive review of the science underscores that climate-disrupting gases are a clear and present danger to human health and the environment,” said Dr. Steven Hamburg, EDF’s Chief Scientist. “The science behind EPA’s finding is strong. Now America needs to forge clean energy solutions that reduce the vast pollution discharged into our air.”

EPA’s endangerment determination provides the basis for clean car standards adopted in April of this year. The new clean car standards were broadly supported by states, America’s automakers, the United Auto Workers union and environmentalists. The clean car standards will reduce oil consumption by 1.8 billion barrels, cut climate-disruptive gases by 960 million tons, and save consumers an estimated $3,000 at the gas pump over the life of their car.

The administrative requests seeking reconsideration of EPA’s science-based finding were filed by coal companies, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the State of Texas, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and other interests.

EPA spent months carrying out a detailed review of the petitions, finding that the science-based determination was strong and that several recent major studies only reinforced the serious threat of greenhouse gases.

EPA announced its decision, and released details of its investigative process, today.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.550.6524, scrowley@edf.org  
David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org

(Washington, DC—July 28, 2010) A new report released today on the 100th day of the BP oil disaster details short- and long-term strategies for the Obama administration to make coastal Louisiana less vulnerable to future oil spills and hurricanes, including negotiating with BP for a $5 billion down payment on expected payments for natural resource damages. The report by Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society and the National Wildlife Federation, “Common Ground: A Shared Vision for Restoring the Mississippi River Delta,” outlines the necessary steps to restore and rebuild an ecosystem that has lost more than 2,300 square miles of wetlands—an area larger than the state of Delaware—since the 1930s.

“The loss of coastal wetlands to oil contamination may speed up today’s alarming land loss, leaving an already-weakened ecosystem even more vulnerable to storms and other man-made assaults,” says the report. “Without restoration, every disaster will sow the seeds of a more devastating disaster down the line, and the region will continue on a path to eventual destruction. These actions will make the entire area more resilient, protecting the people who live there, the industries critical to our national economy, and the wildlife that call the area home.”

The report points out that levees built for flood control and navigation have prevented the river from depositing nutrient-rich sediment needed to build and sustain the delta and surrounding wetlands. Instead, the sediment is now funneled into the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, channels dug for oil and gas extraction have allowed saltwater to destroy huge cypress forests and vast areas of marsh, further accelerating land loss in the region. These legacy channels continue to contribute to wetland destruction long after the companies that dredged them have disappeared, leaving no one to take responsibility for the continued impacts.

The report notes that in recent addresses to the nation, President Obama and his advisors have committed to making the Gulf Coast better than it was before the oil disaster began. In fact, President Obama’s point man for Gulf recovery, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, said in early July that the nation needs the Gulf region to be healthy both environmentally and economically and that it is the nation’s responsibility to make the Gulf Coast whole.

“Current sources of federal and state funding are insufficient to meet the enormous challenge,” the report says. “Furthermore, construction of projects in the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) ecosystem restoration program Congress authorized in the 2007 Water Development Resources Act (WRDA) depends on yearly appropriations to the U.S. Corps Army of Engineers. The uncertainty of such appropriations creates difficulty and delay. We must act immediately to guarantee the substantial funds needed over the long term to sustain the system and the program to restore it.”

Among other steps, the report recommends:

1. Immediately negotiate with BP a $5 billion down payment on what they will ultimately be assessed for natural resource damages from the spill and create a separate escrow account for that money.
2. Amend the Oil Pollution Act to create a separate fund for Gulf Coast and Mississippi River Delta restoration that includes:
• Payments from BP for natural resource damages under the Oil Pollution Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA);
• Penalty payments from BP under the Clean Water Act and CERCLA;
• A dedicated per-barrel tax.
3. Seek a supplemental appropriation of $500 million from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for LCA projects and raise the amount available under the trust fund for this disaster to include at least $155 million for the LCA construction program in Fiscal Year 2012.
4. Complete construction on LCA projects within five years.

“The path to restoring [the Mississippi River’s] precious delta begins with reestablishing the river’s long-severed connection to the delta,” the report adds. “When the river and its sediment are harnessed for restoration, the wetlands will be resupplied with sediment, and land can be reborn. It is time for us to commit to renewal, to building this new common ground.”

The Mississippi River Delta, which makes up much of southern Louisiana, is one of the world’s largest and most productive river deltas. Its 3.4 million acres of marsh, swamp, forest, and barrier islands constitutes the largest wetland complex in the contiguous United States.

• The delta is home to nearly two million people and supports rich, diverse communities whose culture, lives and livelihood are inextricably intertwined with the river and its resources.
• It provides critical breeding, wintering, and migratory stopover habitat for 100 million birds representing hundreds of species.
• Its wetlands are a vast nursery for Gulf of Mexico sea life, including many commercially important seafood species.
• Many threatened and endangered species make their homes in the delta’s habitats, including the Louisiana Black Bear, the West Indian Manatee, the Piping Plover and five species of sea turtles.
• It is the center of the vast coastal Louisiana and Gulf Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas operation.
• It is the center of nationally critical navigation systems, including the lower Mississippi River and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

“To meet the challenges of this battered ecosystem and to manage the challenges of responding to the oil spill, the federal government must work urgently in concert with Louisiana’s Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration to revive these restoration efforts,” the report concludes. “A new federal management structure must drive progress on a vision and plan projects in the short-term. With oil continuing to come ashore, the coastal ecosystem does not have the luxury of time: action that gives a new structure to the federal agency effort must be taken immediately.”

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(Fairfield, CT – July 29, 2010) In an effort to help cities, universities, customers and members of private industry improve energy efficiency and cut costs, GE (NYSE: GE) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) are collaborating to identify energy savings opportunities for partners. Through New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Hospital Challenge, Continuum Health Partners’ (CHP) Roosevelt Hospital served as the first site for the ecomagination Treasure Hunt program, where opportunities for $2.1 million in energy savings with a payback of 2.6 years were identified, leading to over 7,500 metric tons of emissions reductions annually.

“Without the involvement of our private-sector partners in innovative programs like the Mayor’s Hospital Challenge, we will never reach the ambitious carbon reduction goals we set in PlaNYC,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Hats off to GE and Continuum for their efforts to help our hospitals and other large institutions save on energy costs and reduce our carbon emissions.”

“Rather than having a consultant write a report on potential energy projects, the Treasure Hunt process allowed for Roosevelt employees to share ideas that were quantified in energy dollars and metric tons of carbon dioxide saved,” said Continuum Health Partners assistant vice president of Corporate Engineering, Stephen Monez.

Through its ecomagination initiative, GE has made significant progress on its own energy reduction goals by utilizing Treasure Hunts, an internal process where GE leaders work with onsite staff to apply technology expertise and process improvement tools to identify, quantify and recommend enhancements to sources of energy waste – including electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater, compressed air and steam. Since 2005, the company has performed over 200 internal Treasure Hunts contributing to energy savings of over $130 million. The CHP opportunity was identified through Mayor Bloomberg’s Hospital Challenge where thirteen of New York City’s largest hospital systems have agreed to work together to lower their overall energy footprint. In conjunction with the mayor’s staff, GE has provided critical information to participants of the Challenge regarding the four key steps in solving energy problems: identification, technology, implementation, and financing.

“Extending our Treasure Hunts to external partners and helping them reduce costs and save energy is a logical next step for GE, said Steve Fludder, GE’s vice president of ecomagination. “This initiative has already revealed significant results, as demonstrated by our first partnership with Continuum Health Partners. We look forward to working with EDF in this effort to show how energy efficiency progress can be accelerated through partnership and collaboration.”

GE is collaborating with EDF, a global non-profit focused on finding solutions to society’s most urgent environmental problems, in the effort to drive energy efficiency awareness and action throughout the country. EDF is helping GE explore avenues for sharing best practices from the Treasure Hunt process more widely across industries and sectors and has helped select targeted sites for this initiative. Over the next few months, EDF and GE will work to verify energy efficiency opportunities and identify industry best practices at select sites including facilities run by the cities of Atlanta and Orlando, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Merck and others. The ecomagination Treasure Hunts at these sites will require staffing resources but there is no direct fee charged for the opportunity.

“Trillions of dollars in energy savings are up for grabs in the United States,” said Gwen Ruta, EDF vice president for Corporate Partnerships. “Working with GE, we’re making it possible for cities and towns, hospitals and universities and businesses of all sizes to ferret out the valuable energy treasure buried in their own backyards.”

More information about ecomagination Treasure Hunts can be found at ecomagination.com/projects/treasure-hunts and edf.org/treasurehunts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Andy Darrell, 212-616-1206, adarrell@edf.org; Mary Barber, 212-616-1351, mbarber@edf.org

(New York, NY–July 26, 2010) An announcement today by New York Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council Speaker Quinn that they have agreed on legislation to cut allowable sulfur levels for No. 4 heating oil in half will improve the health of city residents, according to Environmental Defense Fund. The City Council is scheduled to vote and pass the bill (Intro-194-A) on Thursday. Once the mayor signs the bill into law, starting in October of next year, buildings burning No. 4 oil will be required to burn the new low sulfur No. 4 oil—1,500 parts per million vs. the current standard of 3,000 ppm—that will emit 40 percent less soot pollution than No. 6 oil.

“This landmark legislation shows that the mayor, the speaker and city council members care deeply about New Yorkers breathing cleaner air and living a healthier life,” said Andy Darrell, New York regional director and deputy director of Environmental Defense Fund’s national energy program, and a member of New York Mayor Bloomberg’s Sustainability Advisory Board. “It’s a great day for the health of all New Yorkers, but especially for children, senior citizens and people with respiratory illnesses who are particularly vulnerable to soot pollution. We urge city officials to build on this great achievement by requiring that No. 6 oil burning buildings switch to the new low sulfur No. 4 oil between next year and 2015.”

The legislation is vitally important to reverse the recent trend of the city consistently receiving a failing grade for its air quality from the federal government in recent years and reducing the hospitalization rate of children with asthma. It currently is twice the national average.

About 9,500 New York City buildings burn the dirtiest grades of heating oil (No. 4 and No. 6 oil), releasing more soot pollution than all cars and trucks on the city’s streets combined, according to the EDF report, “The Bottom of the Barrel: How the Dirtiest Heating Oil Pollutes Our Air and Harms Our Health.” No. 6 oil is the dirtiest grade of heating oil–unrefined sludge—whereas No. 4 oil is a mixture of No. 6 oil and regular No. 2 heating oil. However, up until now allowable sulfur levels have been at 3,000 ppm for both No. 6 oil and No. 4 oil, meaning that No. 4 oil has emitted almost as much soot pollution as No. 6 oil.

In a second phase, No. 4 oil also should be phased out when buildings need to replace their heating system equipment. This switch would ensure maximum clean air benefits without forcing buildings to replace equipment prematurely.

The recently enacted state law—requiring regular No. 2 heating oil to go down to 15 ppm sulfur levels—will reduce emissions from all No. 2 heating oil burning buildings dramatically. In addition, if all No. 6 burning buildings are required to switch to low sulfur No. 4 oil, New York City’s heating oil pollution will be reduced by 40 percent by 2015, which would be a remarkable achievement. Once No. 4 also is phased out, heating oil pollution will be cut by 65 percent compared to today’s levels.

This new law also require that all heating oil contains 2% biodiesel, resulting in about 20 million gallons of biodiesel replacing petroleum heating oil. EDF hopes that this law will help stimulate the local waste vegetable oil market and that more restaurants will have their cooking grease turned into biodiesel. From an environmental perspective, it’s best to use the local restaurant grease right here in New York City, rather than shipping it to landfills or even worse, pouring it down the drain illegally, which does tremendous damage to sewage treatment plants.

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A leading national nonprofit organization, Environmental Defense Fund represents more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. Twitter: http://twitter.com/EnvDefenseFund. Website: www.edf.org/. Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Agnew: (202) 828-9100 (o) / 703-203-8720 (c)
Sean Crowley: (202) 572-3331 (w), (202) 550-6524 (c), scrowley@edf.org  

WASHINGTON, DC (July 22, 2010) – Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), with co-sponsors Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), today introduced the Focusing Resources, Economic Investment, and Guidance to Help Transportation Act of 2010 (FREIGHT Act), a landmark bill, leading the charge to transform America’s transportation policy and investment by focusing on the freight network that enables goods and commodities to move about and reach their markets.

The FREIGHT Act (S. 3629) provides a visionary, comprehensive, systemic approach to infrastructure investment that addresses the nation’s commerce needs while providing a solid foundation that will also help our nation meet its energy, environmental and safety goals.

The bill also calls for the creation of a new National Freight Infrastructure Grants initiative – a competitive, merit-based program with broad eligibility for multimodal freight investment designed to focus funds where they will provide the most public benefit.

“Poor planning and underinvestment in our transportation infrastructure has led to increased congestion at our ports, highways, airports, and railways, and increases the cost of doing business. If we want to help U.S. businesses succeed and create new jobs, we need a freight transportation system that works better and can grow with the changing needs of the global economy,” said Senator Lautenberg in his statement.

“The FREIGHT Act is a paradigm shift our CAGTC members have long advocated and represents a bold step toward ensuring our nation’s economic competitiveness in the 21st century,” said Mortimer Downey, Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) Chairman, Senior Advisor, Parsons Brinckerhoff and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation. “For the first time ever, the bill establishes a comprehensive freight policy with outcome-based goals and creates a broad multimodal, competitive freight–specific program to provide the infrastructure necessary to move this country’s commerce and drive the economy.”

The FREIGHT Act of 2010 directs the Department of Transportation (USDOT) to develop and implement two institutional advances that will improve and coordinate policy within the federal government and the states. The first is a National Freight Transportation Strategic Plan to guide and inform goods movement infrastructure investments in future years. In addition, it calls for the creation of an Office of Freight Planning and Development, led by an Assistant Secretary for Freight Planning and Development. The bill instructs USDOT to develop baselines, tools and methods within two years to measure progress.

“A truly multimodal national freight program that is accountable to measurable performance targets and benchmarks is something the U.S. has needed for a long time,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. “We applaud Senator Lautenberg for recognizing that our freight system can move our goods from coast to coast and power the economy while also being part of the solution for many of our most pressing problems: air quality, dangerous emissions, oil dependence, and congestion on our highways and interstates, to name just a few.”

In developing the National Freight Transportation Policy, the FREIGHT Act also encourages concurrent improvements in air quality impacts, carbon emissions, energy use and public health and safety by establishing environmental goals to complement goals for reducing delays and improving travel time reliability on freight corridors, at gateways and heavy freight population centers. Similarly, the grant program sets criteria to prioritize projects that improve freight mobility and enhance economic growth, while incentivizing environmental improvements.

“Congress must modernize our outdated freight infrastructure to reduce its harmful environmental and public health impacts,” said Kathryn Phillips, a transportation expert with the Environmental Defense Fund. “This important bill provides a roadmap to target federal investment to create a cleaner, more reliable freight system for the 21st century.”

System performance is emphasized throughout the FREIGHT Act and projects will be judged on benefit-cost analysis. The significant overlap among public and private interests in the freight system is recognized through encouraged planning and cooperation with private sector interests, while the grant program leverages Federal investment by promoting non-Federal contributions to projects.

“The National Freight Infrastructure Investment Grants program proposed in this bill would be an important addition to the federal toolbox. It would help fund exactly the type of multi-modal, multi-jurisdictional, major transportation infrastructure projects that have historically been overlooked by the federal transportation investment process,” said Chuck Baker, CAGTC Member and President of the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association.

The Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Transportation for America commend Senator Lautenberg and the other co-sponsors of this visionary and strategically important policy. The three organizations have agreed to work together in support of the FREIGHT Act and call upon all in the transportation community to join in support.

About CAGTC
The Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) is a diverse coalition of more than 60 organizations dedicated to increasing federal investment in America’s intermodal freight infrastructure. In contrast to single mode interests, CAGTC’s main mission is to promote a seamless goods movement transportation system across all modes to enhance capacity and economic growth. Website: www.tradecorridors.org.  Twitter: https://twitter.com/CAGTC.  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=261369164334#!/pages/Coalition-for-Americas-Gateways-and-Trade-Corridors/261369164334

About EDF
A leading national nonprofit organization, Environmental Defense Fund represents more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. Twitter: http://twitter.com/EnvDefenseFund.  Blog: http://blogs.edf.org/transportation. Website: www.edf.org/. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund.

About Transportation for America
Transportation for America is a growing, national coalition committed to creating a new national transportation program that will take America to the 21st Century by building a modernized infrastructure and healthy communities where people can live, work, and play. www.t4america.org

About National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association
The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association is the national trade association organized to serve the needs of railroad contractors, suppliers, and the entire railroad and rail transit construction industry. www.nrcma.org

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Contacts:
Cynthia Koehler, (415) 293-6179-w, (415) 515-0511-c, ckoehler@edf.org
Spreck Rosekrans, (415) 293-6082-w, (510) 393-4593-c, srosekrans@edf.org
Sean Crowley, (202) 572-3331-w, (202) 550-6524-c, scrowley@edf.org

(Sacramento–July 21, 2010) State agency recommendations released today for science-based, freshwater flows from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers “are an important, positive step toward restoring and protecting the health of the San Francisco Bay and the Bay-Delta natural system,” according to Environmental Defense Fund. 

The San Francisco Bay-Delta is the largest estuary on the West Coast and of critical importance for salmon and scores of other fisheries. It is home to 750 species of fish, birds and other animals, many of which have been in severe decline for decades.

The draft criteria released today by California’s State Water Resources Control Board were issued following a directive by the state legislature in last November’s Delta bill (SB 7X-1). After compiling and analyzing the best available science from the last 30 years, the draft criteria overwhelmingly reflect scientific findings that show Delta restoration is dependent upon substantially increased freshwater flows from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.

“We are gratified that the board confirmed the scientific consensus—and all prior analyses—that restoring the Bay-Delta Estuary requires dedicated supplies of freshwater,” said Cynthia Koehler, California Water Legislative Director at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). EDF played a major role developing last year’s delta legislative package. “While the Bay-Delta system is complex with many factors to address, these recommendations are a key milestone in determining how to restore it.”

The delta legislation mandates that the board adopt final flow criteria at its Aug. 3 meeting in order to meet the Aug. 12 legislative deadline. It also states that the adopted criteria must not impact water rights or dictate any particular implementation approach. The draft provides solid documentation for the flow criteria recommendations.

“Today’s report recommends we change the way we manage freshwater flows on our rivers and in the Bay-Delta” said Spreck Rosekrans, EDF Senior Analyst. “Meeting these would require changes in the timing of flows on the Sacramento River, as well as significant increases in volume of flow along the San Joaquin River and through the Delta.”

“The State Water Resources Control Board is the California agency with ultimate responsibility for the health of these ‘public trust’ resources,” said Laura Harnish, EDF’s West Coast Regional Director. “We are optimistic that it will ensure that these valuable and irreplaceable resources get the protection they need not only to survive, but to thrive. We urge the board to finalize the flow recommendations at its August 3 meeting.”

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A leading national nonprofit organization, Environmental Defense Fund represents more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. Find us online at: Twitter: Twitter.com/EDF_CA; Blog: http://blogs.edf.org/waterfront; Website: www.edf.org/california; Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contacts: Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.550.6524, scrowley@edf.org  
David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org  

(Washington, DC—July 20, 2010) The approval this afternoon of President Obama’s budget request to begin funding coastal Louisiana restoration construction projects by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development is “a down payment in what must be a long-term commitment to restoring and protecting coastal Louisiana,” according to five local and national conservation groups.

The Subcommittee’s approval of funding in the Fiscal Year 2011 spending bill is the first time Congress has taken a step towards paying for a major comprehensive program to restore coastal Louisiana wetlands. In February, President Obama became the first President to request funding for a new start construction program to restore coastal Louisiana wetlands.

“Initiating funding for these vitally important projects will help restore the massive, decades-long loss of Louisiana’s wetlands, making the wetlands stronger to rebound from the BP oil disaster,” said a joint statement by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Environmental Defense Fund, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, National Audubon Society, and National Wildlife Federation. “Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Energy and Water Development Subcommittee Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-ND), and Subcommittee member Mary Landrieu (D-LA)—a long-time advocate of coastal restoration—deserve praise for backing President Obama’s pledge to leave coastal Louisiana in better shape than it was before the BP blowout. Congress must keep this provision in the final bill and then build on this initial step by committing a significant, long-term funding stream to a coastal Louisiana restoration program.”

The Senate subcommittee bill includes a total of $35.6 million for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investment in Louisiana coastal restoration—$19 million to start construction of wetlands restoration projects, and $16.6 million to conduct wetlands pre-construction studies—as President Obama’s budget for FY 2011 requested. The President’s budget also included a $5 million request for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wetlands restoration work on the Gulf Coast; these funds will be considered separately in other legislation.

Since the 1930s, coastal Louisiana has lost over 2,300 square miles of wetlands, an area larger than the state of Delaware. There are two man-made reasons: the Mississippi River sediment that replenishes wetlands has been diverted out of the system to facilitate shipping and flood control, and dredging of canals for oil pipelines and equipment canals has weakened the wetlands.

The decline of the Mississippi River Delta wetlands—which has dramatically impaired protection from hurricanes and wiped out much of the buffer against oil spills and other disasters—threatens:

• One of our nation’s most important fisheries
• One of our nation’s most significant port complexes and navigation systems
• Wildlife, including tens of millions of migratory birds and waterfowl
• Domestic energy production and processing
• Communities all along the central Gulf Coast

“This funding is a first step in the long-term, multi-billion effort to protect and restore Coastal Louisiana,” the groups concluded. “We look forward to working with the Obama administration, Congress and Louisiana officials to save this American treasure.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.550-6524-c, scrowley@edf.org
David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org

(Washington, DC—July 19, 2010) Conservation groups today urged the U.S. House Appropriations Committee to pass President Obama’s budget proposal to begin funding coastal Louisiana restoration projects when it marks up the spending bill for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other public agencies for Fiscal Year 2011. Last week, the House Energy & Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee did not include the President’s proposal in its version of the bill.

“Congress authorized these projects even before the BP oil disaster. The need now is even more urgent since oil continues to coat wetlands and beaches, and poison birds, marine life and fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico,” said a joint statement the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Environmental Defense Fund, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, National Audubon Society, and National Wildlife Federation. “Congress must reverse the decades-long collapse of this ecosystem, which the oil spill has worsened. It’s the only way to stop the economic pain of every American who depends on a healthy Gulf Coast for their livelihood.”

President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget released in February—before the BP oil catastrophe—requested $19 million for the Corps of Engineers to fund construction of coastal Louisiana restoration projects authorized in the 2007 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). WRDA laid out the first steps toward systemic, science-based solutions to restore the severely degraded Mississippi River Delta ecosystem. Since the 1930s, coastal Louisiana has lost more than 2,300 square miles of wetlands, an area larger than the state of Delaware. There are two reasons: the Mississippi River sediment that replenishes wetlands has been diverted out of the system to facilitate shipping, while the dredging of canals for oil pipelines and wells also has weakened the wetlands.

The decline of the Mississippi River Delta wetlands—which has dramatically impaired protection from hurricanes and wiped out much of the buffer against oil spills and other disasters—threatens:

• One of our nation’s most important fisheries
• One of our nation’s most significant port complexes and navigation systems
• Wildlife, including tens of millions of migratory birds and waterfowl
• Domestic energy production and processing
• Communities all along the central Gulf Coast

“The scientific and public policy communities are in agreement,” the five conservation groups concluded. “Funding the president’s budget request would not only begin to heal a region that has been hurting for decades, but would now be a real and tangible way to begin long-term recovery from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. Now more than ever, it is critical that Congress include these funds as the legislative process proceeds. We urge the House Appropriations Committee to take the first step toward renewing what has been and must remain such a vibrant and vital part of America.”

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(Washington, DC—July 15, 2010) Environmental Defense Fund criticized the Senate Appropriations Committee for cutting several popular, oversubscribed USDA conservation programs by more than $500 million late this afternoon. The programs cut include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, Grassland Reserve Program. The 2008 Farm Bill mandated a total funding level of more than $2 billion in FY 2011 for these programs.

The move follows a vote two weeks ago by the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee to cut $270 million from next year’s baseline spending for the USDA’s largest working lands conservation program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP and other USDA conservation programs provide public benefits such as clean water and wildlife habitat.

“These votes fail to recognize the urgent need for action to conserve the working lands—farms, ranches and private forestlands—that make up two-thirds of the continental United States,” said Sara Hopper, director of agricultural policy for Environmental Defense Fund and a former staff member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “Farmer demand for assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and other conservation programs routinely outstrips available funding. We urge Senate and House leadership to reverse these cuts to these critical programs that assist farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who want to improve and protect their lands for future generations.”

President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget also called for cutting more than half billion dollars from USDA conservation programs, including EQIP, the Conservation Stewardship Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Grasslands Reserve Program, Farmland Protection Program and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program.

Last month, 17 conservation groups wrote key House committee and party leaders urging them not to cut USDA conservation programs to pay for an $8 billion increase in spending for child nutrition programs. While the current House version of the child nutrition reauthorization bill does not cut USDA conservation programs, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted in March to cut EQIP by $2.8 billion over 10 years to pay for a smaller $4.5 billion increase in funding for child nutrition programs.

“America’s working lands are essential pieces of the conservation puzzle,” concluded Hopper. “Without healthy, productive agricultural lands, efforts to improve water quality, protect wildlife, and curb global warming are doomed to fail.”

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Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.

For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Bart Miller, Western Resource Advocates, 720-763-3719, bmiller@westernresources.org
Dan Grossman, Environmental Defense Fund, (303) 887-8206, dgrossman@edf.org

BOULDER, CO - (July 12, 2010) A new report shines a brighter spotlight on what western water managers already know: climate change threatens western water supplies, and energy and water planning are on a collision course. The report, “Protecting the Lifeline of the West: How Climate and Clean Energy Policies Can Safeguard Water” urges federal legislators to act now to preserve western water resources in the face of increasing demand and diminishing supplies.

The report’s release coincides with the U.S. Senate’s return from Fourth of July recess to take up energy and climate legislation this week.

“The West’s elected leaders know what a challenge it is to meet the water needs of their district’s cities, farms, and environment, and how important it is to secure safe, reliable water supplies for the future,” said report co-author Stacy Tellinghuisen of Western Resource Advocates. “Passing climate legislation now is their chance to do just that.”

Climate and clean energy policy is also smart water policy. Transitioning away from forms of energy that emit health-harming greenhouse gases can also save water in the West. In Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah, power plants consume enough water meet to the combined demands of Denver, Phoenix, and Albuquerque.

“One aspect of the global warming challenge that is not often talked about inside the Beltway is the threat posed by global warming to the West’s most critical natural resource — water,” said Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain Regional Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “In addition to helping prevent the increased droughts that are associated with climate change, developing clean energy technologies will also let us move away from water-intensive energy sources so we can devote more of our water to meet the growing needs of Western cities, agriculture, recreation and the environment.”

The report, released today, outlines why it is critical that western Senators help pass a strong climate and clean energy policy that will support sound water management. National climate policy can augment measures that westerners are already pursuing, including the City of Albuquerque’s water conservation program, which now saves 19 billion gallons of water and 137,000 tons of carbon each year, and Xcel Energy’s investment in wind power, which saves an estimated 1.6 billion gallons of water in Colorado. Water saved by transitioning to cleaner, less water-intensive energy sources can met other future water needs and maintain higher streamflows.

“Nature delivers climate change by altering our rivers and streams. What we may see in the future may be very different from what we see today,” said Eric Kuhn, General Manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District.

Long term drought can have tremendous economic impacts in the rural West where local economies depend on agriculture and recreation.

Kent Peppler, President of the Rocky Mountain Famer’s Union believes appropriate federal action can provide hope. “Our nation needs a coordinated response to the challenges of climate change that threaten our water supply, the growing season, and the viability of farming and ranching.”

“Those of us who rely on rivers for our livelihoods are already seeing the impacts of climate change - and we’re very concerned. Our concerns demand action,” said Julie Eaton, a fly fishing guide and co-owner of Eaton Outfitters in Montana.

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Western Resource Advocates, is a leading regional organization dedicated to protecting the West’s land, air, and water. Western Resource Advocates recognizes that success can only come from working collaboratively with other conservation groups, hunters and fishermen, ranchers, American Indians, and all those who seek a sustainable future for The West, visit www.westernresourceadvocates.org.

Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private‐sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Vickie Patton, General Counsel, 720-837-6239, vpatton@edf.org
Tony Kreindler, National Media Director, 202-445-8108, tkreindler@edf.org

(Washington, DC – July 6, 2010). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed tighter limits on sulfur dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) pollution from eastern power plants, taking corrective action to strengthen human health protections in response to a July 11, 2008 court of appeals ruling.

“Stronger action to cut power plant pollution will mean healthier, longer lives for millions of Americans,” said Vickie Patton, Environmental Defense Fund’s general counsel.   “Power plants are the nation’s single largest emitter of harmful sulfur dioxide, climate-disrupting gases, and toxic mercury, and EPA’s action is an important step in reducing the dangers from smokestack emissions.”

The EPA’s proposed new regulations will target power plant pollution that drifts across the borders of 31 eastern states and the District of Columbia. EPA says it is designed to help areas in the eastern United States meet existing national air quality health standards.

SO2 and NOx emissions discharged from eastern power plants are associated with 23,000 to 60,000 deaths, 3.1 million lost work days, and 18 million acute respiratory symptoms annually due to particulate pollution alone.

EPA’s proposal would lead to improved pollution reductions in states with high levels of power plant pollution, such as the emissions concentrated along the Ohio River Valley, expand the clean air measures to power plant emissions in Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska and Oklahoma, and strengthen compliance deadlines.

Power Sector a Major Emitter. The pollution discharged from over 900 coal, gas and oil-fired units in the eastern U.S. has a cascade of serious health and environmental impacts including heart and lung disease, climatic disruption, acidic deposition in forests and lakes, and death. The power sector is the nation’s single largest source of heat-trapping gases and other airborne contaminants such as SO2 and toxic mercury.

New Health Effects Analysis Documents Harmful Impacts of Today’s Power Plant Pollution. Technical analysis prepared for Environmental Defense Fund using EPA methodologies estimates that the SO2 and NOx emissions discharged from eastern power plants are associated with over 23,000 to 60,000 deaths, 3.1 million lost work days, and 18 million acute respiratory symptoms annually due to particulate pollution alone.

CAIR Made Progress in Capping Pollution Under “Good Neighbor” Protections. In 2005, EPA finalized the Clean Air Interstate Rule under the Clean Air Act’s “good neighbor” protections, capping and reducing the smokestack pollution transported downwind across the eastern U.S. In 2009, the first year of the NOx cap, emissions were 43 percent (490,000 tons) lower than predicted based on a linear extrapolation of past emissions and 59 percent (960,000 tons) lower than the program’s 2003 baseline. A significant drop in SO2 emissions also occurred in 2009, in anticipation of the program’s 2010 SO2 compliance deadline.

Costly Health Impacts. Reducing the emissions from power plants is one of the single most important and cost-effective measures to protect human health and the environment. The monetized health harms associated with today’s pollution levels from eastern power plants exceed $200 billion annually.

Corrective Legal Action. On July 11, 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. overturned and vacated the Clean Air Interstate Rule finding serious deficiencies including EPA’s failure to calibrate the emissions mitigation in the upwind state with its downwind impacts, the Agency’s failure to durably maintain the health-based air quality standards in downwind states suffering from upwind pollution, and the failure to align the rule’s emissions reduction deadlines in upwind states with the statute’s deadlines for downwind states to achieve healthy air pollution levels. On December 23, 2008, the court reinstated the Clean Air Interstate Rule while EPA undertook corrective action consistent with the court’s July 2008 opinion. Judge Judith Rogers’ concurring opinion reasoned that a remand rather than a vacatur was the proper remedy because “the rule has become so intertwined with the regulatory scheme that its vacatur would sacrifice clear benefits to public health and the environment while EPA fixes the rule.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Sean Crowley, 202-550-6524, scrowley@edf.org

(Washington, DC—June 30, 2010) “Safety systems should be designed to protect workers and the environment first, not exploration and production budgets,” according to congressional testimony today by a conservation group that has worked on Gulf Coast restoration for more than three decades.

“The loss of 11 lives on the Deepwater Horizon was the tragic beginning of a series of losses that continue to mount, including the accelerated loss of wildlife and wetlands, the impacts on sport and commercial fishermen and their associated industries, and the loss of tourism,” testified Elgie Holstein, oil spill response coordinator for Environmental Defense Fund during a 9:30am hearing on draft legislation, the “Blowout Prevent Act,” before the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee.

“Yet wells in far deeper water have been drilled and will become commonplace in years to come,” added Holstein, formerly Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Energy and Assistant Secretary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Even wells that are not drilled in deep water may, depending on the geologic, geographic and environmental setting, present a risk to public and worker safety, the environment, and the economy. This draft legislation is a good start to safe-guarding high-risk wells that are an increasing part of our domestic energy development.”

The draft legislation, the “Blowout Prevent Act,” would require regulations for “high-risk wells,” which are defined as “all offshore oil and gas wells and the subset of onshore wells that, under criteria established by the appropriate federal official, could lead to substantial harm to public health and safety and the environment in the event of a blowout.” Among other things, the bill’s regulations would include:

• No Drilling Without Demonstrated Ability to Prevent and Contain Leaks
• Blowout Preventer Requirements
• Ensuring Safe Wells and Cementing
• Independent Technical Advice and Certification
• Well Control and Blowout Prevention Inspectors

“We don’t oppose offshore drilling,” concluded Holstein. “But America must accelerate its movement toward a clean energy future by enacting a clean energy and climate bill into law. Meanwhile, the industry must act now to rebuild public trust and confidence in its ability to conduct its activities safely and responsibly, and the government must demonstrate a renewed commitment to safeguarding the public’s natural resources and our economy.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org
Tony Kreindler, 202-445-8108, tkreindler@edf.org

“Today’s White House meeting begins the final push toward passage of strong clean energy and climate legislation. Passing a bill that finally deals with our oil addiction will require strong presidential leadership – and that’s just what we saw today. Every president since Richard Nixon has called for energy independence; now it looks like we have one who is willing to roll up his sleeves to get it done. The President’s call today for clean energy legislation with limits on carbon pollution was a clear sign that he wants a strong bill.

“Transitioning America to clean energy won’t be easy – Big Oil and their allies have a lot of money and a lot of power – but we believe the situation is now urgent enough that Washington has no choice but to act. With millions of gallons of crude spilled in the Gulf, and a billion dollars a day going overseas for imported oil, the moment for real action has arrived. We believe that with continued active involvement by the President himself, and Senators from both parties engaged in serious talks about what’s best for the country, we can pass a strong clean energy and climate bill in the weeks ahead.”

— Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund

(Sacramento, CA – June 24, 2010) Environmental Defense Fund today praised the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for adopting a comprehensive plan to maximize the environmental and consumer benefits in the smart grid plans of state investor-owned utilities, PG&E, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE). 

“Today’s PUC decision shows yet again that California is creating a model that other states can follow to save ratepayers money, grow the economy and protect the environment,” said Lauren Navarro, Environmental Defense Fund, which was a party in the smart grid proceeding. “Utilities now have clear guidelines for developing smart grid plans that are able help California meets its energy and environmental goals.”

Achieving those goals requires smart grid plans that take customer needs into account and feature marketing campaigns to educate consumers about ways they can use electricity more efficiently and save money.

“Utilities are now required to take a proactive approach to consumer education and use market research and past experiences to improve their outreach efforts,” Navarro said.

Studies have shown that a smart grid can reduce household utility bills10 percent when customers have access to tools, technologies and real-time information that can help them better manage energy use.

By providing ratepayers with information about how much electricity they use at different times of the day, utilities can help customers save electricity during critical times. This “demand response” process leads to cost savings, reduced energy use and cleaner air. If just five percent of customers shift their use, the most expensive and polluting peak power plants will come online less often and prices for all customers will drop substantially.

Smart grid deployment, done right, can play a significant role in helping California achieve its landmark energy and environmental policy goals. As the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and others have found, the potential benefits of a smart grid include reductions in climate change and criteria pollutants, water and land impacts and oil consumption – as well as gains in energy independence and economic growth.

Maximizing these benefits will require a smart grid that can facilitate: expanded deployment of renewable and distributed power sources; greater use and charging of electric vehicles and new energy storage technologies; and greater reliance on demand-side resources, especially those that serve as an alternative to new peaking power plants.

Nancy Ryan, the public utility commissioner in charge of the smart grid proceeding, ensured that the smart grid plan approved today was designed to maximize consumer and environmental benefits.

The agency’s smart grid planning process began after Senate Bill 17 (Padilla) was signed into law last year. That bill called for utilities to give special attention to consumer protection and environmental benefits when developing these plans. It also integrated California’s environmental policies related to mitigating climate change. These include the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), building and appliance efficiency standards, the loading order that prioritizes renewables and energy efficiency over fossil fuel energy, and air quality improvement policies.

“The PUC decision is a solid step forward in guiding the utilities to deliver all of the environmental and consumer benefits that the smart grid provides,” concluded Navarro.

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Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.